1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a training device for the game of golf, and, more particularly, to such a device for instructing and aiding a golfer to assume proper stance and alignment to move a golf club along a desired path to produce a satisfactory striking of the ball with the club head.
2. Description of Related Art
A difficult matter, especially for new golfers, is to position the body with respect to a fairway or green so that when a golf ball is struck it will go toward the target. This body positioning is generally referred to as "alignment" and is affected by many factors, a major source of error being the fact a golfer must face generally at 90.degree. to the direction it is desired to hit the ball. Also, many individuals do not normally stand with their shoulders exactly parallel to a line drawn through the feet either "opening" the body toward the target or "closing" it so that the body faces to right of the target.
A further difficult thing for a new golfer is to know exactly what path the club head should take in order to strike a ball in a reasonably satisfactory manner. This difficulty resides in, among other things, the inability of the golfer to know precisely what path the end of the golf club takes, especially during the early part of the swing in order to obtain good results. That is, the golfer frequently believes that he is moving along a certain path whereas, in fact, he may be moving along a different path, either taking the club outside or inside the desired line for achieving a satisfactory path to strike the ball. It is a commonly heard statement in the teaching of golf to take the club head along the path directly away from the ball to the target for a short distance and then move inside closer to the body to the top. Also, immediately after hitting the ball it is usually recommended that the clubhead continue on a path that curves back slightly toward the body until it finishes with the hands high. However, as a practical matter, most golfers have found that the golf swing is a difficult thing to accomplish and that frequent practice is needed to keep the swing in tune.